Brain Candy

Peep Space is thrilled to announce the opening of Brain Candy - a group exhibition of visual art designed to stimulate the senses and emotions. Brain Candy will feature the artwork of twelve artists in the contemporary sphere: Monica Carrier, Steph Costello, Leslie Friedman, Paul Gagner, Iris Jaffe, Jane Kang Lawrence, Jenny Kemp, Victoria Loren Miller, Shae Nadine || SubtleFlux, Sheryl Oppenheim, Antonia Perez, and Melissa Staiger. 

Brain Candy was guest-curated by the artist Iris Jaffe and inspired by Jaffe’s relationship to art along with recent studies that have shown the profound impact of visual art on the human brain. Neuro-aesthetics, a field at the intersection of psychology and art, has demonstrated that engaging with art can increase dopamine and other neurotransmitters linked to feelings of love, pleasure, and reward. According to the National Library of Medicine, “...[neuro-aesthetics] has evolved beyond its initial scope with a growing body of evidence demonstrating the direct impact of the visual arts, architecture, design, digital media, and music on the human brain, biology, and behavior.” 

Jaffe is fascinated by these discoveries, which align with her personal experiences. She likewise finds it uplifting that medical doctors the world over have started prescribing museum visits, art activities, and art therapy to patients to increase health and well-being. Akin to Jaffe’s personal experiences, improvements in mood, anxiety level, depression, memory, and even cognitive function have all been noted in clinical studies where patients have engaged in making or experiencing art. According to the American Congress of Rehabilitation medicine, a study conducted by Professor Semir Zeki, chair in neuro-aesthetics at University College London, even evidenced that blood flow increases by as much as 10% to the region of the brain associated with pleasure when looking at paintings by major artists. This is the equivalent to looking at a loved one, which is furthermore associated with increased activity in several reward-processing regions and a reduction in pain overall.

Brain Candy presents art as visual nourishment, providing sustenance for both the mind and the soul. The candy in Brain Candy alludes to the positive qualities of sweet treats and the reality that candy is often linked with celebration, joy, comfort, love, friendship, and family. Like art, candy also releases dopamine – the neurotransmitter that is released when a person is in love. Aesthetically, Brain Candy features vibrant, visually stimulating works that aim to incite joy and elation through color, concept, humor, and form. Through the organization of Brain Candy, Iris Jaffe and Peep Space hope to induce happiness and wellbeing in the audience and reveal art's incredible ability to heal, inspire, and transform. A live-streamed, moderated panel discussion with artists from the exhibition and Ed Vessel, a neuroscientist who specializes in neuro-aesthetics, will take place at Peep Space on Saturday, June 1st at 3:30pm. 

PeepSpace is an artist-run project space in Tarrytown, NY, directed by Monica Carrier and founded by Monica Carrier and Jane Kang Lawrence in 2020, for emerging and established artists to share their vision with others.

For more information and the pricelist of exhibited works, please visit the gallery’s website, www.peepspaceny.com, or email PeepSpaceNY@gmail.com. Private tours of the exhibition are available to the press and other interested parties. Press inquires may also be directed to Iris Jaffe, who may be reached at 646-450-6535 or iris.s.jaffe@gmail.com. To connect with Peep Space on Instagram visit @peep_space.